About time we had a rugby World Cup thread?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

If you love rugby the world cup is great

Plenty of high profile games in a short space of time

But I think they try too hard to talk about it as a world game as it clearly isn't

The British Isles and ONE team in Europe make up half of the big boys

Throw in New Zealand and South Africa the only world nations which could call rugby their obsession and Australia where the sport is below aussie rules , rugby league , cricket and football ......

And that's it

[Dave Blue]

Would any Irish person have enjoyed watching that. A waste of an afternoon.

[Trigger]

One thing I want to moan about last night was the choir , although I'm sure very talented, they ruined the French national anthem for me .

Thought it a good game, tbf I'm not a rugby expert but for me was nice to see there are norther hemisphere countries out there that don't just melt in front of the all blacks.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

How often do you see scores of 7 nil ......a complete hammering...... in European or World football ? It happens but not as often as the beatings dished out by Ireland and Italy today

How often is there a genuine shock in the rugby world cup ?

It just seems so mismatched

The way the six nations ......which is enjoyable for many ....is sometimes referred to as the European rugby holy grail .....is a bit daft really as only Ireland, Great Britain a France and Italy are involved

Holland , Belgium , Germany , Spain , Greece , Poland , Norway , Sweden , Denmark etc etc ?

[MacAdder]

Apparently ticket prices are extortionate too, even for the mis-matches.

Doubt I will watch many games at least til the knock out stages.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Apparently ticket prices are extortionate too, even for the mis-matches.

Doubt I will watch many games at least til the knock out stages.

That's where the genuine fans or those who are hoping to form an interest are shut out

Completely defeats the object of trying to broaden the sport

[William Treseder]

How often do you see scores of 7 nil ......a complete hammering...... in European or World football ? It happens but not as often as the beatings dished out by Ireland and Italy today

How often is there a genuine shock in the rugby world cup ?

It just seems so mismatched

The way the six nations ......which is enjoyable for many ....is sometimes referred to as the European rugby holy grail .....is a bit daft really as only Ireland, Great Britain a France and Italy are involved

Holland , Belgium , Germany , Spain , Greece , Poland , Norway , Sweden , Denmark etc etc ?

You don’t half talk some bollox sonny.
There have been 24 Football World Cup tournaments, with only 8 different winners.
9 Rugby Union World Cup tournaments with 4 different winners. It will be 5 if Ireland or France win this one.
I know which one looks top loaded from that.

[John Buchanan]

Unlike Wales, other countries like Scotland, Ireland, France etc don’t mind minority sports doing well. They get behind them. We’ve still got the “My PE teacher forced me to play rugby” mentality. It’s pathetic really. I prefer football to rugby, always have. But I still want Wales to do well in the 6 nations and WC.

Well, he did.

[Maurice Swan]

I guess they ahve to be seen to 'equalise' teams...but yes..it makes absolutely no sense.....the later stages should be better...

[ToTaL ITK]

How often do you see scores of 7 nil ......a complete hammering...... in European or World football ? It happens but not as often as the beatings dished out by Ireland and Italy today

How often is there a genuine shock in the rugby world cup ?

It just seems so mismatched

The way the six nations ......which is enjoyable for many ....is sometimes referred to as the European rugby holy grail .....is a bit daft really as only Ireland, Great Britain a France and Italy are involved

Holland , Belgium , Germany , Spain , Greece , Poland , Norway , Sweden , Denmark etc etc ?

Those countries that like rugby are more into it...Aus,GB, South Africa (no footie there)
As for many of those countries you mentioned it's not big at all. The rugby WC isn't being showed on Swedish TV for example

[City123]

You don’t half talk some bollox sonny.
There have been 24 Football World Cup tournaments, with only 8 different winners.
9 Rugby Union World Cup tournaments with 4 different winners. It will be 5 if Ireland or France win this one.
I know which one looks top loaded from that.

And there have only been 5 different finalists. Since the first World Cup only 13 teams have reached the knockouts, with Japan in 2019 the first new team to do so since 1999.

Compare that to the last 9 football World Cups. 6 different winners, 8 different finalists, 16 difference semi finalists and 31 different teams reaching the quarter finals, never mind the round of 16

I like rugby, but international rugby is top loaded, far more so than football

[City123]

England red card and Argentina yellow in the first 10 or so minutes

[the other bob wilson]

Watching the England game and rugby really has got problems. The game’s becoming borderline unwatchable with all of the breaks in play and checks that are having to take place because it’s a way too physical game played mainly by huge men and women - what we’re seeing now in terms of head injuries and brain damage in former players will be as nothing compared to what these giants are going to suffer from in later life.

[City123]

Argentina are completely rattled here

[City123]

Watching the England game and rugby really has got problems. The game’s becoming borderline unwatchable with all of the breaks in play and checks that are having to take place because it’s a way too physical game played mainly by huge men and women - what we’re seeing now in terms of head injuries and brain damage in former players will be as nothing compared to what these giants are going to suffer from in later life.

And yet you'll have loads of rugby fans (in fact you already do on social media) complaining about that red card and how it's soft

[Grangenders]

England have got Argentina’s number here even with a player less. Win tonight and they have one foot in the semi finals already

[Wash DC Blue]

Watching the England game and rugby really has got problems. The game’s becoming borderline unwatchable with all of the breaks in play and checks that are having to take place because it’s a way too physical game played mainly by huge men and women - what we’re seeing now in terms of head injuries and brain damage in former players will be as nothing compared to what these giants are going to suffer from in later life.

Rugby Union is a shadow of the sport that it once was.
It’s a war of defensive attrition now with huge blokes wrapping up man and ball and phase after phase of boring play.

In the interest of player safety and as a spectator sport could a rule change to leg tackles only improve things?

[The Bloop]

If Tom Curry's 'tackle' was a clash of heads, why wasn't the head injury protocol followed? After all, these rules are all about protecting the player?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Those countries that like rugby are more into it...Aus,GB, South Africa (no footie there)
As for many of those countries you mentioned it's not big at all. The rugby WC isn't being showed on Swedish TV for example

Australia are not a big rugby union country

Rugby league yes

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

If Tom Curry's 'tackle' was a clash of heads, why wasn't the head injury protocol followed? After all, these rules are all about protecting the player?

Why was he sent off and had a red yet the Argentinian bloke who flattened Ford got away with a yellow ?

What a joke

[City123]

Rugby Union is a shadow of the sport that it once was.
It’s a war of defensive attrition now with huge blokes wrapping up man and ball and phase after phase of boring play.

In the interest of player safety and as a spectator sport could a rule change to leg tackles only improve things?

Feels like there are bigger celebrations for winning scrums and penalties than for scoring points now

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

You don’t half talk some bollox sonny.
There have been 24 Football World Cup tournaments, with only 8 different winners.
9 Rugby Union World Cup tournaments with 4 different winners. It will be 5 if Ireland or France win this one.
I know which one looks top loaded from that.

If you think the two scores by Ireland and the mighty Italy today were out of the ordinary or the same happens in the football world cup or European championships .......

Then please point out scores of 7 nil in recent tournaments

Then we can discuss things properly

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

There was no intention by tualange in that tackle a few moments ago to grab his opponent

It was an assassination hit

[City123]

There was no intention by tualange in that tackle a few moments ago to grab his opponent

It was an assassination hit

Ah but it was a "monster, showstopping hit" so it's all fine

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

There was no intention by tualange in that tackle a few moments ago to grab his opponent

It was an assassination hit

A lot of so called tackles in rugby are very cowardly it seems to be part of the game